Supporting means to prevent parts of the body from contracting bed-sores



g- 1969 a. MARKWITZ ETAL 3,462,775

SUPPORTING MEANS TO PREVENT PARTS OF THE BODY FROM CONTRACTING BBD-SURESFiled June 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 26, 1969 a; MARKWITZ ETAL 3,

SUPPORTING MEANS TO PREVENT PARTS OF THE BODY FROM CONTRACTING BED-SORES2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 1, 1967 United States Patent 3,462,775SUPPGR ING MEANS TO PREVENT PART 0F THE BBDY FRQM CONTRACTING BED-StFRESBernhard Markwitz, 9-16 Brodersweg, Hamburg r3, Germany, and Horst Pomp,33 Cursehmannstlz, Hamburg 20 Germany Filed time 1, 1967, ser. No.cease; Claims priority, application Grit-many, Feb. 24, 1967, 72

US. Cl. -327 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The supporting devicefor supporting the body or a part thereof of a bedridden patient servesto prevent formation of bed-sores at the mainly pressed areas of thebody part. The supporting device is an inflatable tubular sheet closedat the ends and subdivided into several air cushions by transversewelding seams. The sheet is placed around the body parts, i.e. thecalves, and after inflation 1l'.S end portions are connected, i.e. by aVelco-type closure.

Background of the invention The invention relates to supporting meansadapted to prevent parts of the body, especially the heels, of bedrlddenpatients from contracting bed-sores.

With patients confined to bed for long periods of time, it often occursthat the parts of the body which are mainly pressed, such as heels,seat, shoulders and the hindhead contract bed-sores (decubitus) wherebythe already weakened overall state of health of the patient goes stillto worse. One has already tried to prevent the heels from contractingbed-sores by putting them into elastic r ngs. This support, however, inpractice has the great d1sadvantage that the heel is supported only inone position of the leg.

One object of the invention is to provide a supporting means adapted toprevent parts of the body from contracting bed-sores and which allow apatient to turn 1n bed and particularly to lie on one side withoutlmpalrmg thereby the supporting effect.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supporting means, inparticular, a supporting means for the shanks by which the danger ofcontracting bed-sores is eliminated; the free mobility of the parts ofthe body, especially the shanks, is guaranteed; normal blood circulationand perspiration of the supported parts are not impaired; and theformation of perspiration water at the pressed areas of the body isprevented.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the invention, thesupporting means for the parts of the body consists of a double-walledinflatable sheet adapted to be placed around the parts of the body. Thissheet consists of a hose portion which is placed around the part of thebody to be supported and after having been inflated because of thecompressibility thereof takes care that said part of the body isresiliently supported without having contact with the bed. The part ofthe body projecting from said inflated hose as well as the parts of thebody not resting on the supporting hose are freely suspended in the air.The suppotring effect is maintained even after the patient has turnedonto the side because the inflated region of the foil surrounds theperiphery of the part of the body by at least 4.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, particularlywhen used as supporting means for heels, the walls of the hose-likesheet are at least par- 3,462,775 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 tiallyconnected with each other essentially transversely to the hoselongitudinal direction especially along narrow welded strips, thusforming several air cushions. Suitably, the inflated hose sheet isbrought into such a relative position with respect to the part of thebody that the arteries are lying in these contact-free zones so that theblood circulation is not impaired even if the patient has to liemotionless in bed for an extended period of time. The connection of thesheet walls along the strips between two adjacent cushions is noteffected over the entire width of the foil but with small channels beingsuitably left open, particularly at the ends of said welded stripsthrough which channels the individual cushions are interconnected. So,one air inlet sufiices to inflate all the cushions of the hose sheet.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the hose sheet issubdivided into three cushions, at least one welding seam being providedbetween two adjacent cushions. Two adjacent cushions may be turned abouttheir common welding seams. The leg of the patient may rest on theintermediate cushion, while the two side cushions are capable of beingturned-up and are serving to support the leg when the patient turnsround. It is possible to provide between two adjacent inflatablecushions several welding seams in small distance from each other andarranged substantially in parallel. In dependence upon the' width ofthis non-inflatable region defined between said welding seams, more orless broad contact-free zones are resulting between the leg and thesheet after having placed the latter around the leg and inflating it.Preferably a broad intermediate cushion is arranged between two smallside cushions. The two contact-free zones between the center cushion andthe two side cushions correspond to the position of the leg arteries.After the sheet has been placed around the calf and is inflated, thearteries approximately lie in the notches formed between the inflatedcenter cushion and the two inflated side cushions. In the case of thesupporting means for the protection of the heels, the dimensions of theinflatable hose sheet in the non-inflated condition are about 47 cm. x20 cm. The center cushion in the non-inflated condition has a length ofapproximately 23 cm. The side cushions for example have a length of 10cm.

Provision has further been made for the arrangement of connecting meansat the two ends of the inflatable sheet. By the connecting means, theturned-up side cushions can be connected with each other and retained inthis position. Preferably, the sheet is longitudinally subdivided bytransverse welding seams formed near its ends and extending over theentire width thereof to form an inflatable portion comprising saidcenter cushion and said side cushions and two non-inflatable endportions with the closure means fixed thereon.

In this manner the entire supporting means may be made of one hoseportion. The transverse welding seams formed near said hose sheet endsprevent air from entering said end portions during inflation. To makethe supporting means according to the invention, two webs of a sheet ofcorresponding width may also be used instead of the hose as the startingmaterial, said sheet webs being welded to each other along theirlongitudinal edges thereby forming a hose sheet. The simple division ofthe non inflatable end portions by means of continuous transversewelding seams provides for an especially safe connection, and it is notnecessary to fix any special end flaps as a carrier for the connectionmeans. Buttons, press buttons, straps, etc. may for example serve asconnecting means. Preferably, however, the supporting means inaccordance with the invention is provided with a Velcro-type connectionextending over the entire width of the foil. Such a Velcro-type closurestrip may be pasted, or if being made of thermoplastic material, weldedonto said end portions. To improve the fastening of the Velcro-typeclosure strips on the end portions, one will weld the superposed wallsof said end portions to each other at least partially in the region ofthe connection strips.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention the side ofthe sheet wall which faces the part of the body is provided with a layerof soft foam material with open pores. The foam material layer not onlyincreases the resiliency of the supporting means but makes possible alsothe breathing of the skin at the areas being supported. Thus, theformation of perspiration water is avoided. What is essential to obtainthis effect of the foam material layer is its open-porous characterwhich ensures a diffusion of moist air through the soft foam material.In a further development of this embodiment, provision is preferablymade for strips in said foam material layer which are free from foammaterial. The foam material layer may be connected to the sheet walltherebeneath by means of welding seams along these strips. The width ofthe strips free from foam material may be approximately equal to thethickness of the foam material layer. The strips extend towards theouter edges of the layer and serve to carry off the sweat and to improvethe circulation of air. The welding of the foam material layer with thesheet wall disposed therebeneath adds to the durability of the foammaterial layer and avoids in particular the tearing-off of the foammaterial layer when connected only at an edge welding seam.

Furthermore an opening in a cushion wall together with closure means areprovided which comprise a short hose portion of small diameter at saidopening closable by means of a plug. This inflation port can be formednear the end of the inflatable part of the sheet at the outside thereof,said hose portion being adapted to be pushed into the interior of theside cushion together with the plug when the sheet is inflated. The airinlet because of its arrangement at the outside of the turned up sidecushion will lie exposed even if the leg of the patient rests in thesupporting means. If the patient turns round with his leg resting on thesupporting means an outwardly projecting closure might be disturbing andmight eventually open inadvertantly. These disadvantages are avoided ifthe hose portion with said plug is pushed into the interior of theinflated side cushion.

The inflatable sheet consists of an airtight material having a certainelasticity and transparency, such as for instance plasticizedpolyvinylchloride. It is actually possible to use also other materialssuch as for instance polyethylene or natural rubber. The elasticity ofthe sheet material adds to the softness of the supporting means and thetransparency makes possible an observation of the surface of the skin toa certain degree.

The invention will now be described in the following in more detail byway of a supporting means for a heel.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a side view of thenon-inflated supporting means according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the supporting means, and

FIG. 3 is a side view of the inflated supporting means on an enlargedscale.

Description of the preferred embodiment The supporting means representedin FIGS. 1 to 3 consists of two rectangular sheets 1, 2 of the samedimension connected by welding at their edges. The foils aretransversely welded near its opposing ends, said transverse welded seamsextending to the longitudinal edges 3 and separating the non-inflatableend portions 5 from the inflatable portion. The inflatable portion issubdivided into a broad center cushion 7 and two smaller side cushions 8by transverse welding scams 6. The transverse welding scams 6 betweenthe cushion 7 and the cushions 8 are not extending completely to thewelded edges 3, so

that the cushions 7, 8 are connected by air channels 9. A short airinlet hose portion with a plug 10 formed integrally with said inlet hoseis fitted on the underside of the one side cushion 8. The air channels 9ensure that all the three cushions may be inflated from the inlet 10.

The upper sheet 1 of the cushions 7, 8 has welded thereonto a foamrubber padding 12 along the welded seams 11. The padding consists of afoam rubber web having open pores and a thickness of for example 4 mm.The end portions 5 can be interconnected as shown in FIG. 3 after thesupporting hose has been inflated and the side cushions 8 have beenturned up. For this purpose, a Velcro-type closure in the form of astrip is fastened each on the upper side of the one end portion and theunderside of the other end portion 5. The Velcrotype closure may bewelded to said end portions or pasted by means of a synthetic adhesive.

To make use of the supporting means in accordance with the invention,the shank of the patient is placed onto the center cushion 7. Thereupon,the hose is inflated, i.e. by means of a simple air pump. The sidecushions 8 are turned-up into the position as shown in FIG. 3. Finally,the end portions 5 are placed atop of one another over the shin-bone andconnected by simple pressing together the Velcro-type closure 13. TheVelcro-type closure 13 is adjusted such that the supporting means isaltogether close to the shank leaving little clearance. The displacementof the compound air cushion composed of three parts in a verticaldirection thus is prevented by the two end portions forming a rigidledge over the shin-bone which prevents the air cushion from performingupward and downward rolling movements. The end portions overlap at theend of the shank support near the foot in a greater extent than at theend near the knee. In order to prevent the projecting hose portion withthe plug 10 from obstructing the turning movement of the supportingmeans and eventually inadvertantly opening, the hose portion may bepushed into the side cushion 8.

The supporting means in accordance with the invention may be adapted tothe part of the body which is to be protected. Especially thesubdivision of the cushions may be changed in such a manner, that, forexample, several smaller cushions are provided. The supporting means mayalso be varied by enlarging or reducing, respectively, the selectedarrangement so that it may be used to put at a rest and support thelimbs or the body which will be necessary in connection with certainsickenesses. Owing to the fact that the supporting means is formed by aninflated sheet, the formation of pressure points by small creases asgenerally is the case with the usual cushions, is eliminated. To avoid apointed foot-position a flap may still be fastened at the supportingmeans.

The supporting means is of a very light weight and of such an elasticitythat also very weakened patients may turn on it in any direction withoutany additional physical effort being necessary. If a patient turns roundin bed, he may also turn the foot in the supporting means. Owing to thefact that the heel is freely suspended, the bone of the foot cannotexert any pressure on the tissue surrounding it thereby ensuring theblood circulation of the foot and preventing the formation of bed-sores.

The device is simple to handle and constructed in such a manner that itis impossible to use the device in a manner other than the proper one.The supporting means in accordance with the invention thus constitutes adevice to prevent the formation of bed-sores which will have afavourable effect in the first place on the patient; but it means also aconsiderable relief to the nursing personnel because nursing activitiesto treat bed-sores such as massages and embrocations with meansenhancing the blood circulation are eliminated.

What we claim is:

1. An inflatable device for supporting the limbs of a bedridden patientto prevent bed-sores comprising, in combination, a flexible tubular,envelope having a longitudinal length defined by ends, and a transversewidth, means defining said envelope into a central inflatable cushionportion and a pair of inflatable cushion end portions, said end portionseach being located adjacent an envelope end and said central portionbeing located intermediate said end portions, means for inflating saidinflatable portions, and interconnectible connecting means mounted onsaid envelope at said ends thereof whereby said envelope may beembracingly disposed about a limb such that the limb is supported uponsaid central inflated portion, and said inflated side portionsredisposed laterally alongside the supported limb and said connectingmeans maintains said device in an embracing condition upon the limb.

2. In an inflatable device as in claim 1 wherein said envelope is formedof a pair of flexible sheets of material interconnected at their edges,and said means defining said envelope into central and end portionscomprises bonding means interconnecting said sheets in a directiontransverse to said longitudinal length.

3. In an inflatable device as claim 2 wherein air passages are definedadjacent said bonding means establishing communication between saidinflatable portions.

4. In an inflatable device as in claim 3 wherein a soft foam material isaffixed to the exterior of one of said sheets, said foam material beingdisposed adjacent the embraced limb upon interconnection of saidconnecting means to cushion a limb supported upon said device.

5. An inflatable device for supporting a limb of a bedridden patientcomprising, in combination, a first inflatable cushion chamber definedby flexible sheet members adapted to be inserted beneath the limb to besupported and having oppositely disposed end regions, second inflatablecushion chambers defined by flexible sheet members each havingoppositely disposed end regions and an end region of each second chamberbeing attached to an end region of said first chamber, and connectingmeans defined upon the unattached end regions of said second chambersfor mutual interconnection to maintain said second chambers adjacent thelateral sides of the limb supported.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,896,612 7/1959 Bates et a1.128-60 3,313,511 4/1967 Koerner et a1. 248361 3,251,075 5/1966 Saltnesset a1. 5-337 3,253,861 5/1966 HOWard 297453 3,256,882 6/1966 Huber128-165 3,345,656 10/1967 Steinman 297439 XR BOBBY R. GAY, PrimaryExaminer ANDREW M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5-338;297423

